Course - detail

LEB5039 - Climate and Agriculture: Principles and Applications


Credit hours

In-class work
per week
Practice
per week
Credits
Duration
Total
4
3
10
15 weeks
150 hours

Instructor
Felipe Gustavo Pilau

Objective
The course intends to give background on:a) analyze and understand the climate elements and driving factors, mainly about the energy available on the Earth's surface and its influences on different natural and thermodynamic processes of the atmosphere; b) understand the climate-agriculture interactions, with focus on decision-making and agricultural planning, in special regarding the effects of adverse weather.

Content
1. Concepts and definions of agrometeorology, agroclimatology and bioclimatology; 2. Principles and mechanisms involved in weather (atmospheric) and climate composition: 2.1. Composition, structure and atmospheric movements; 2.2 Earth-Sun relationships; 2.3. Driving factors and climatic elements: 2.3.1 Solar radiation: definitions, radiation laws, solar spectrum, measurements and estimates; 2.3.2 Air temperature: measuring equipment and estimates, thermal indices, temperature as an adverse factor to agricultural practice; 2.3.3. Air humidity: definitions, saturation pressure; partial pressure; absolute and relative humidity, mixing ratio, dew point; measuring equipment; humidity with adverse factor to agriculture; 2.3.4. Rain: formation and types, measurement equipment, interaction with vegetation; 2.3.5 Winds: definitions, measurement equipment, interaction with crops and windbreaks; 2.4. Energy balance of crops: definitions, radiation balance, net radiation partition, measuring equipment and estimates; 3. Evapotranspiration and water balance of crops: definitions, measures and assessment methods; 4. Climate classification: macro, meso and microclimate factors, climate classification, variability, change and climate anomalies; 5. Agroclimatic zoning: characterizations, methodologies and recommendations.

Bibliography
1. CAMPBELL GS, NORMAN JM. Introduction to environmental biophysics. Springer Verlag, 1998. 286p.
2. MONTEITH JL. Vegetation and Atmosphere, vol. I., Academic Press, 1975. 278 p.
3. MONTEITH JL, UNSWORTH MH. Principles of environmental physics, Edward Arnold, 1990. 291p.
4. MAVI, H. S. Agrometeorology principles and applications of climate studies in agriculture. New York : Food Products Press, 2004. 364 p
5. ALLEN RG, PEREIRA LS, RAES D, SMITH M. Crop evapotranspiration. Guidelines for computing crop water requirements. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56, 1998. 300p.
6. DOORENBOS, J.; KASSAM, A.H. Yield response to water. Rome: FAO, 1979. 193p. (Irrigation and drainage paper, 33).
7. SNYDER, R.L.; MELO-ABREU, J.P. Frost protection: fundamentals, practice and economics. Vol.1. Food and Agriculture Organization, Roma, 2005. 223p.
8. ROSENBERG, N.J.; BLAD, B.L.; VERMA, S.B. Microclimate: the biological environment. John Wiley & Sons, 1983. 495p.
9. VAREJÃO-SILVA, M. A. Meteorologia e Climatologia. Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Brasília. 2000. 515 p.
10. VIANELLO, R.L.; ALVES, A.R. Meteorologia básica e aplicações. UFV - Imprensa Univ., 1991. 449p.
11. MENDONÇA, F; DANNI-OLIVEIRA, I.M.ClimAtoloGia: noções básicas e climas do Brasil. São Paulo: Oficina de Textos, 2007. 206p.
12. PEREIRA AR, VILLA NOVA NA & SEDIYAMA GS. Evapo(transpi)ração. FEALQ, 1997. 183p.
13. PEREIRA AR, ANGELOCCI, LR, SENTELHAS PC. Agrometeorologia – Fundamentos e Aplicações Práticas. Ed. Agropecuária, 2002. 478p.
14. MONTEIRO, J.E.B.A. (Ed.) AGROMETEOROLOGIA DOS CUTIVOS: o fator meteorológico na produção agrícola. Brasília : INMET, 2009. 530 p.
15. PASCALE, A. J., DAMARIO, E. A. Bioclimatologia Agrícola e Agroclimatologia. Editorial Facultad Agronomia, Univ. de Buenos Aires, 2004. 550 p.